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Tips for building your Bearhawk airplane

Source: 2006 Q4 Beartracks, Rob Gaddy. Part 2 is in 2007 Q1.
What do I need to know about Bearhawk Weight and Balance? If you are still reading I will assume you have an interest in the subject also, so come along for the mental trip and we will see if we learn anything.
Let’s start with the basics; here is our Bearhawk, figure 1. Let’s assume we have finished it but haven’t flown it yet. It has all equipment installed and engine oil, but not fuel. I want to know two things, first what does it weigh, and second where does it balance, hence Weight and Balance or W&B. To answer these questions let’s put some trustworthy scales under each tire to find what the weight is on that particular tire. Let’s level the fuselage, it is important later. We will use the W&B for N33RB as given in the October 1999 Bear Tracks, page 6 for an example.